I think its really easy to forget all that one has accomplished as we go through our days oh so quickly. It finally took me to today (NYE 2009) to sit down and reflect on the year. I'm almost entering my third decade in life and just now feel that I am really becoming my own person. A lot of this is due to a few amazing experiences and people in my life.
So, here goes my 2009 list of things that have helped make this an important year:
FoodSome may call me a 'Foodie' however I despise the word (sounds too snobby to me) but I really just like food a lot. When you really love food you want to learn more about it, experience new dishes, ingredients and try at best to avoid a bad meal. Throughout the year, I have heavily increased the amount of time I spend in the kitchen and I heart it! Cooking is a time for me to de-stress, be creative and have complete control over something. My husband (Joe) has also played a role in the kitchen with me and its fun to see how we maneuver our small kitchen to make something we can both enjoy.
We have had the amazing opportunity to enjoy fantastic outdoor meals at our local wine shop, Lush, in the summer, welcomed Chef Chris Pandel to our home to cook a fantastic meal for us and our friends (as part of the Swan Creek Farm fundraiser - see previous post), travel to Argentina and eat way too much delicious red meat. In addition, I have had the opportunity to work with some well recognized Chefs and learn from each. My favorite, Chef Michelle Bernstein has taught me a woman can do anything and keep a smile on her face (despite various obstacles). It has been a fine year of learning more about food and enjoying amazing experiences.
Other notable food mentions: Dinner at Alinea, Dinner with Ted Allen at Moto and the Robert Mondavi team, South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Chicago Gourmet, Various Pig and Goat Roast events (!), Several attempts at pickling and weekly trips to the Farmers Market, Lots of drinking wine at Lush with some fun winemakers and cool staff.
New FriendsI can definitely attribute this to social media, mostly tools like Twitter and also Facebook and LinkedIn. 'Ugh, Carrie, we are so over hearing about Twitter. Its just a place where people post what they are having for dinner. I don't care about that.' I hear this statement too often from those friends and family members that are too resistant to learn what it really does (happily I have converted a few non-believers). I blame celebs like Kim Kardashian and bad Verizon commercials for confusing this amazing tool. Its really about building relationships that could never happen IRL (e.g. in real life) without the reach of this medium.
Through the year, I have made friends with extraordinary people, from food writers to restaurant publicists to PR agency peers that showed me that not all PR people fit the ill behaving stereo-type to social media gurus to food fans just like me...ah the list goes on. Thank you all for being my friend. In the past I have been pretty protective over deciding who I am going to let in and I'm truly happy no matter what shape or form that we have become friends in 2009.
FirstsUnfortunately, there have been too many occasions this year that I had to deal with some negative people and situations. For a 'Cancer' like me, this can be a bit tough to handle and in the long run really takes a toll on the confidence level. Sure, I am a pretty tough cookie and strong individual but you can only take so much. I will be the first to admit that writing is not my strongest suit. I'd rather grab a drink and chat all night with you then sit in front of this computer and post something that goes out to anyone willing to read. No I don't write in AP style and Yes I could have a stronger vocabulary (and there are probably millions of typos in this post - SORRY!) but ya know what there have been a few people that have appreciated my writing style and given me the opportunity to challenge myself and improve it. They offered an opportunity, encouragement and a new sense of myself.
For starters, Thanks to Rob Gardner for allowing me to guest blog on The Local Beet about my experience reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." This was the first time that I was like, 'Wow, someone is interested to hear what I have to say and they are willing to offer their platform to do so.' Thanks to Katie and her Enjoy Illinois team for allowing to contribute a few posts (I know there were only a few. Sorry!). And, thanks to Chuck Sudo and the Chicagoist team for accepting me into their crew of really smart, witty writers so I could write about my passions, wine and food. Ten years ago I would never thought I would be contributing with written words to any online venue other than client emails and proposals.
So, Thank you all for a great year. I'm excited to see what I make out of 2010 and hope it only keeps getting better. Cheers!
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